incidental

English

Etymology

From incident +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪnsɪˈdɛntəl/, /ɪnsəˈdɛntəl/
  • IPA^(key): (nasal flap) [ɪnsɪˈdɛ.ɾ̃əl], (enunciated) [ɪnsɪˈdɛn.tʰəl]

    • Audio (US; enunciated):

      (file)

    • Audio (US; more common realization):

      (file)

Adjective

incidental (comparative more incidental, superlative most incidental)

1. Loosely associated; existing as a byproduct, tangent, or accident; being a likely consequence.

   That character, though colorful, is incidental to the overall plot.

2. Occurring by chance
3. (physics, of radiation) Entering or approaching, prior to reflection (more frequently incident).

Synonyms

• (existing as an accident): accidental, contingent; See also Thesaurus:circumstantial
• (occurring by chance): accidental, serendipitous; See also Thesaurus:accidental

Antonyms

• (existing as an accident): inevitable, necessary, impossible; See also Thesaurus:inevitable
• (occurring by chance): inevitable, intentional; See also Thesaurus:intentional

Derived terms

• incidental expense
• incidentally
• incidental music

Related terms

• incident
• incidence

Translations

loosely associated; existing as a byproduct, tangent, or accident; being a likely consequence

• Finnish: epäolennainen (fi)
• French: incidental (fr)
• German: zugehörig (de), beiläufig (de), anfallend (de), folgend (de), nebensächlich (de), gelegentlich (de), Neben- (de), Sonder- (de), zusammenhängend mit, indirekt (de), Begleit-, begleitend (de), verbunden (de), zusammengehörig (de), einhergehend mit
• Italian: incidentale (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 偶然の (ja) (gūzen no), 偶発的な (gūhatsuteki na)
• Portuguese: incidental
• Russian: эпизоди́чный (ru) (epizodíčnyj)
• Spanish: incidental (es)

occurring by chance

• Bashkir: осраҡлы (osraqlı)
• Bulgarian: случаен (bg) (slučaen)
• Finnish: satunnainen (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: zufällig (de), Zufalls- (de)
• Russian: случа́йный (ru) (slučájnyj)
• Spanish: fortuito (es) m

entering or approaching, prior to reflection

• Bulgarian: падащ (bg) (padašt)
• Finnish: tuleva (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: einfallend (de)

Noun

incidental (plural incidentals)

1. Minor items, not further defined. Incidental expense.

   She's costing us a lot in incidentals.

2. Something that is incidental.

Translations

minor items, not further defined — see also incidental expense

• German: Nebenausgabe f, Nebensächlichkeit f, Nebenumstand m, Nebenkosten (de) f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 雑費 (zappi)

something that is incidental

• Bulgarian: епизод (bg) m (epizod)
• Finnish: sivuseikka (sthg of minor importance); sattuma (fi) (chance, accident)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: Unvorhergesehenes n, Nebensächliches n

Anagrams

• anticlined

---

Portuguese

Adjective

1. incidental (existing by chance)

---

Spanish

Adjective

incidental m or f (masculine and feminine plural incidentales)

1. incidental (existing by chance)